HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: The NBA chose wisely this year, didn't listen to the hype, and gave it to a truly deserving player.

Marc Gasol becamse the first Grizzlie player ever to win the Defensive Player of the Year honors receiving 212 points and 30 first-place votes.

"I'm the first European ever to accomplish this," Gasol said Wednesday. "It's really an honor. Now I think my kids will believe me when I tell them I played in the NBA."

#5 Defensive Efficiency: The Grizzlies were 2nd in the NBA in terms of defensive efficiency and their numbers were always improved when Gasol was on the court. This shows that his team is strong defensively; but that they are improved by his presence and even surrounded by great defenders he makes the difference.

#4 Defensive Rebounding: Gasol averaged 5.5 defensive rebounds a game and held opponents to 6.8 points per 100 possessions.

#3 Steals Solid: Gasol averaged 1.0 steal per game, which is impressive for a big man.

#2Blocks Impressive. Gasol averaged 1.7 blocks per game, which was 13th in the league.

#1 Getting The Job Done: The Grizzlies take a team approach to defense. They are able to pressure on the wings more because they know they're interior defense is so strong. Gasol in the middle anchors this interior defense. The Grizzlies allowed a league-low 88.7 point per game as a result.